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During a strategic meeting held at the fringes of the third Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Forum, taking place in New York from 3-5 April, high-level representatives from governments, private sector companies and civil society called for intensified partnerships between sectors in order to accelerate progress towards decentralized renewable energy access - specifically for low income households in rural areas.

The strategic meeting was co-convened by the Dutch, Kenyan and Nepalese government, Schneider Electric, SELCO India and Hivos, ENERGIA and SNV and was attended by over 70 representatives from different sectors. The participants noted that progress towards universal energy access is too slow and rural areas are left behind.

The workshop developed concrete actions to speedily advance renewable energy access through cross-sectoral partnerships and emphasized on joined ambitions Among them, prioritizing decentralized energy and increasing public and private investments as well as international climate finance for decentralized solutions.

The participants underlined the importance of working together. “The challenge [of achieving universal energy access] is a very complex one that cannot be solved by any one sector alone. We need the knowledge and expertise of all sectors to share and co-create new solutions. Only by increased cooperation and by showing leadership we can accelerate energy access “ says Frank van Vleuten of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. “We hope others will join us in this effort” he adds.